The present invention relates generally to patient care devices and, more particularly, to pouches for pill crushing devices.
Modern medicines come in a variety of forms and commonly the form is that of a pill. This can be defined generally as a small, usually soluble medicated mass that is shaped to facilitate swallowing. Typically, it contains a filler and an excipient substance that facilitates working it into the desired pillular form. One skilled in the art of patient medication may distinguish between a “pill” and a “tablet” but, as the term is used herein, “pill” is intended to include both. Typically, pills come in a variety of sizes and shapes, and, because of the manufacturing process, often have a hard outer shell.
In some cases, to accomplish efficient patient medication, it is advisable to crush the pill rather than having the patient consume it whole. For example, if a patient has difficulty in swallowing, it can be helpful to pulverize the pill and combine the fragments with a carrier, such as a fruit juice. Because of this recognized need, various pill-crushing devises are known.
Since pill-crushing devices are used in a patient care setting, it is important that they be reliable, quiet in operation and readily usable by care giving personnel, and most importantly that they provide a vehicle for assuring that the patient receives the full dosage of a prescribed medication.
While many pill-crushing devices, such as the pill-crushing device described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,637, have mete with commerical success, the pill crusher pouch has been less than satisfactory. In this regard, there is a need for a new and improved pill crusher pouch that allows substantially the whole of a crushed pill to be easily extracted and consumed by a patient.